Brewers' World Series run cements Daniel Vogelbach as Mariners' dream hitting coach

It should be this week that the Seattle Mariners finally settle on a new manager, whether it's Joe Espada, Jason Kanzler or (improbably) someone else. The team is then going to have to find a new hitting coach to replace Kevin Seitzer, and we're here to say: Don't make us beg for Daniel Vogelbach.

Vogelbach was on our wish list for Seitzer replacements back in September, before he got the axe at the end of the season. It was largely a case of Milwaukee Brewers envy, and it's only gotten stronger now that the Brew Crew is on the verge of winning the World Series… and now that we know how much Vogelbach has to do with it.

The former Mariners All-Star is the subject of a lengthy piece by Jordan Shusterman of Yahoo Sports, which is very much worth reading in full. Yet even though Vogelbach is but one of three hitting coaches working under Pat Murphy, there's a straight line to draw from him to the club's relentless offense.

It's no accident that the words "approach" and "plan" appear repeatedly in the article. Those words are practically synonymous with Milwaukee's offense by now, and the 33-year-old Vogelbach's role in his first season on the job has involved fine-tuning the tone that Murphy had already set.

"He's built upon it," Andrew Vaughn told Shusterman. "I remember getting here last year, that was Murph's big thing: 'What we do here is we swing at strikes, and we take balls.' As simple as that. And being able to fine-tune that and understanding pitchers and what they're trying to do to you — Vogey really breaks that down and gives us a set plan."

Daniel Vogelbach's influence as a Brewers hitting coach is exactly what the Mariners need

Swing at strikes and take balls? Gee, what a concept.

Even though the Brewers "only" co-lead MLB with a 10.6 BB% during the regular season, no team was in their league when it came to working pitchers. Their 43.5 Swing% was easily the lowest in MLB, and ditto for their 26.6 O-Swing% ("chase rate," if you prefer). The magic has carried over into October, where several of the Brewers' best highlights have involved not swinging the bat.

Of course a quality like this would be associated with Vogelbach. Even if he was mostly known as a huge dude with huge power during his playing days, the patience was always there as well. When he hit 30 home runs for the Mariners in 2019, he also fueled a 16.5 BB% with the 10th-lowest O-Swing% among qualified hitters. He was two spots below Joey Votto, for crying out loud.

As for the Mariners of today, the fact that their walk rate rose from 2025 to 2026 is misleading. They could stand to add some patience, and here's how we can tell:

• 2026 Zone%: 46.9, 4th-lowest in MLB
• 2026 O-Swing%: 31.4, 7th-highest in MLB

Pitchers didn't throw Mariners hitters many strikes this year, and Mariners hitters too often obliged them by expanding the zone. That's what they call "no bueno," and it pretty much confirms what the eye test said about an offense that finished third from the bottom of MLB in scoring: These guys have no clue what they're doing at the plate.

As for whether the Mariners can actually get Vogelbach to help solve the problem, the idea is strictly aspirational. The new skipper should get to have some say as to who's on his staff. We also don't know Vogelbach's contract with the Brewers, much less how willing the team is to let him pursue other opportunities.

That said, it may not hurt that he crossed paths with the Jerry Dipoto regime as a player. And if he was to be named Seattle's sole hitting coach, it would technically be a promotion relative to his status in Milwaukee.

So, what the heck. Take whatever hopes you have of "Vogey" returning to Seattle and hold onto them nice and tight.

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